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| New England States | Connecticut | Windham |
Windham was incorporated in 1692.
A group of local residents near the Village Green in the village of Windham Center formed an aqueduct company sometime before May, 1803. Eleven of them petitioned the legislature on May 16, 1803 praying for incorporation, as they had "already expanded considerable sums of money" in pursuit of their object. The legislature did not grant the charter for reasons unknown, and another petition was submitted in May, 1807, which was granted.
The Aqueduct Company in
the Town of Windham was incorporated by Jabez Clark, Benjamin Dyer, Elisha
White, John Taintor, Charles Taintor, John Staniford Jr., Benjamin
Brewster, Samuel Gray, John Byrne, Henry Webb for the purpose of bringing
water into the town street of said Windham in subterraneous pipes. The
language in the charter is more specific than similar documents, stating
that water from a spring on or near Jennings Lane "shall be conveyed into
the town street, and to the height of land south of the meeting-house in
said Windham, in the following manner, viz. from said fountain to John
Taintor's, from thence to the houses of Benjamin Dyer and Jabez Clark, and
from thence to the barn of Charles Taintor, and from thence to the houses
of John Staniford and John Byrne, Henry Webb and Charles Taintor, on the
height of land aforesaid, and from thence to the house, or houses of such
person or persons as shall hereafter be associated with said
proprietors." Furthermore, it was stated that "no branch or aqueduct
except such as are already in operation shall be taken from the main
branch or aqueduct described in this act, until it shall have passed the
dwelling house of the said Charles Taintor unless to some out house or
barn appertaining to the dwelling-house of some of the proprietors
before-named, without the consent of each individual member of said
corporation."
The charter was amended in 1820 to clarify that rights in the aqueduct transferred with the property served by it. The system only served a small number of customers around the Village Green, supplying 14 families in a 1915. The company apparently existed into the 1960s, when the City of Willimantic may have offered water service to this village.
A separate aqueduct had served the village of South Windham for nearly 40 years in 1881, when new pipes were installed.
Around 1853 a water system for fire protection was installed in Willimantic with "a three-inch pipe laid along Main street from the Smithville Company’s mills down to the post office and up High street to the house of Robert Hooper, near Valley street."
Efforts to form a company to own a water system in the Borough of Willimantic were resisted by local residents, who voted to form a public water supply and received permission from the legislature in 1883. This system was operating by 1885 and was taken over by the City of Willimantic when it was incorporated in 1893. The City was unincorporated in 1982 and the Town of Windham assumed responsibility for the water system.
Water is currently
provided by the Town
of Windham Water Works.
References
1803 Petition for incorporation of an
aqueduct in the Town of Windham, May 16, 1803
1807 Petition for incorporation of an aqueduct in the Town of Windham, May 30, 1807
1807 An Act to establish an Aqueduct Company in the Town of Windham, 1807
1820 An Act in addition to an Act, entitled "An act to establish an Aqueduct Company, in the town of Windham." May 23, 1820
1881 Willamantic Chronicle
November 16, 1881: South Windham - A new aqueduct is talked of and is
expected to be placed in position immediately, to replace the one which
now supplies many of the residents in the north part of the village with
water. The old pipe is of lead and has seen a service of over forty years.
November 23, 1881: South Windham - P. Lewis has contract for digging and
filling the trench for the new aqueduct which is about ready to get into
position.
1882 Willamantic Chronicle
November 15, 1882: Borough Meeting.
The largest specially warned borough meeting that has been held for
sometime was that convened at Armory hall Monday afternoon and it
represented a good proportion of taxpayers. It was thought that there
might be a clashing of forces of more than usual severity but the seekers
for this kind of amusement were sadly disappointed for the entire
programme passed of with the greatest expedition and serenity. The first
clause in the warning expressed dis-satisfaction at the vote passed at a
previous meeting awarding $400 damages to Chester A. Vinton for damages
received on his person last winter and was disposed of by indefinitely
postponing action.
The next clause called for an amendment to the borough charter whereby
water works may be built by its provisions. This part provoked a little
discussion and it was apparent that sympathy for the measure was largely
prevalent. The meeting listened patiently to the inevitable chronic
grumblers who oppose every person, suggestion, measure and project which
is offered for the public and then a resolution was passed in substance as
follows: The warden and burgesses are instructed to petition the next
General Assembly of the State of Connecticut for an amendment to the
borough charter, empowering the warden and burgesses and freemen to supply
said borough with water for public and private use, and to bond said
borough for cost of same. Also, to choose Don F. Johnson, Charles E.
Congdon and Henry N. Wales a Committee to act with the Warden and
Burgesses in procuring the same. Said amendment not to go into effect
until it has been accepted by the Borough at a meeting especially called
for the purpose, at which meeting the vote shall be taken by ballot,
marked “Yes” and “No.”
1883 Authorizing the Borough of Willimantic to Supply Water, May 1, 1883
1889 History of Windham County, Connecticut,
Richard M. Bayles
Page 326: The Willimantic Water Works are a development which may be said
to have begun with the efforts of the mill owners to protect themselves
and their surroundings from fire in the early years of their enterprise.
The first water pipe system outside of such private enterprises was a
three-inch pipe laid along Main street from the Smithville Company’s mills
down to the post office and up High street to the house of Robert Hooper,
near Valley street, about the year 1853. The expense was borne by the
company and the property owners along the line, and the company contracted
to work the pumps whenever the alarm of fire was given. The system proved
efficient, and as large a stream could be sent out as can be obtained from
any hydrant now in the borough. It is still kept in working order for use
in case of emergencies.
After many years spent in discussing and proposing various schemes for
supplying the village with water for the extinguishing of fires, a
contract was finally made with the mill companies along the river to
furnish power for pumping water through a system of pipes to be laid
through the principal streets, with hydrants at convenient points. The
mill owners were to be allowed for such service a rebate of one-half their
taxes to the borough. Much opposition to the plan prevailed for a time,
but it was finally put into execution with the decided support of the
people of the borough. September 13th, 1873, the borough voted to allow
the warden and burgesses to borrow money to lay the pipes. The work soon
after ‘began and was continued, though opposition appeared at every step
and it was impeded somewhat by perplexing litigation, which, however, did
not succeed in preventing the execution of the plan. The system completed,
was connected with the force pumps of the Smithville, Windham, and Linen
companies, and the pressure attainable as 150 pounds to the square inch.
This system seemed to be all that was required for protection against
fires, but with the growth of the village a want soon became apparent for
a system of supplying water for household purposes. In 1880 Messrs.
Whiting, James E. and Willard T. Hayden applied to the general assembly
for corporate privileges as a water company, with the necessary rights of
entering upon property for the specified purposes, with the design of
meeting this growing want. Through the influences brought to bear by the
people of the borough, who were not in favor of water being supplied to
the village by a private company, the incorporation was not effected.
In July, 1882, steps were taken to consider the practical questions
regarding the establishment of public water works, and the idea became so
popular that the borough, at a meeting November 13th, decided to ask the
burgesses to petition the assembly for an amendment to their charter which
would allow them to undertake such an enterprise. In accordance with such
petition the amendment was granted at the May session of 1883. August
18th, 1883, the borough accepted the water charter by a ballot of 194 to
16. January 8th, 1884, George W. Burnham was elected water commissioner
for one year, E. B. Sumner for two years--and Henry N. Wales for three
years. The regular year begins January 1st. By a vote taken at a borough
meeting held July 9th, 1884, it was decided, by a vote of 277 against 42,
that public water works should be constructed to supply the village from
the Natchaug river. The commissioners were at the same time authorized to
issue bonds to the amount of $200,000 to carry out the plan. The bonds
were in due time issued, and bore date October 1st, 1884, being in four
equal classes, to run respectively fifteen, twenty, twenty-five and thirty
years, bearing interest at four per cent. per annum. The work was then
pushed forward. A dam and pumping station, and engineer’s house were
erected at Conantville, about one and a half miles north of the village,
on the Natchaug, and a reservoir was built on Hosmer mountain, south of
the village. This reservoir has a capacity of five million gallons. More
than twelve miles of iron pipes have been laid through the streets. The
pumping capacity is two thousand gallons per minute. Water from the clear
Natchaug stream is thus driven to the reservoir, which is elevated several
hundred feet above the village, and thence it is led by pipes to the
village, having pressure sufficient to cover any building in the place
with a stream from a “line of hose. “The pressure is so great that in
dealing with fires no engines are necessary."
1915 Ground Water in the Hartford, Stamford,
Salisbury, Willimantic and Saybrook Areas, Connecticut, by Herbert E.
Gregory and Arthur J. Ellis, Water-Supply Paper 374, U.. S.
Geological Survey
Page 129: Windham Aqueduct Company, 1,200 gallons daily, 14 families
supplied.
The Connecticut Historical Society has records of the Windham Aqueduct Company from 1807 to 1968.
© 2015 Morris A. Pierce